TORONTO — What a fine line the Toronto Raptors have walked this season, and how successfully.
How much longer they can, or will need to, is the question.
Witness their opponents Tuesday night.
For years the Portland Trail Blazers were thought to be the Raptors’ counterpart in the Western Conference. It was deemed a compliment and translated to: stable, competitive, consistent.
Each club has made six straight playoff appearances with the Blazers advancing to the Western Conference Finals last year and the Raptors winning their first NBA title.
But consistent competence — let alone excellence — is a difficult standard to maintain in the NBA.
Stuff happens, basically.
As an example, when the two teams met at Scotiabank Arena they were tied in the most unlikely and unwelcome category: each club had missed 128 man games to injuries, third-most in the league.
From the Raptors’ point of view, that might not have even been the most significant numerical oddity.
“I think the stat of the night is this: We started five completely different guys in Portland when we beat ’em out there,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, referring to the win his club stole in Portland in early November when they were down three starters. “I don’t know if you can do that in a two-month span very often.”
This time around, the Raptors were down three different starters – Marc Gasol (hamstring); Pascal Siakam (groin); and the freshly injured Fred VanVleet (hamstring), as well as their top bench scorer, Norman Powell (shoulder) – against the Blazers. The first time it was Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and OG Anunoby.
While it’s believed Powell could be back any day, the news on VanVleet was more vague and so – we’ve become programmed to assume – more foreboding.
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“He’s out,” said Nurse. “Think it’s gonna be a little bit before we know exactly how long.”
And yet? The Raptors have generally found a way.
They couldn’t this time around. Missing three starters and four of your top seven players is a burden almost no NBA team can weather game after game. The Raptors’ ability to make do with made-up lineups has been the exception to the rule, but as their 101-99 heartbreaker to the Blazers suggested, rules exist for a reason.
“We’ve got great guys, young kids going out there and trying to prove their worth,” said Lowry. “(We) go out there and execute and play. We’ve just got to continue to get better. Hopefully, these guys get healthy and get out there.
“(But) we’ve just got to play with what we have.”
The difficulty of what the Raptors were trying to do became clear down the stretch of the fourth as the Blazers were able to look to Damian Lillard – a borderline MVP candidate – and Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time all-star with a new lease on life on offence. Toronto had Lowry and not much else.
Each of the Blazers stars hit two threes late to dismantle what had been a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead. A Lillard bomb from 30 feet tied the game with 38.5 seconds to play — a shot Toronto contends was triggered by an illegal screen set by Hassan Whiteside — and the Raptors couldn’t generate any offence against a Blazers defence anchored by the paint presence of the big man, who finished with 16 rebounds and seven blocks.
Toronto’s best chance to break the tie ended in a turnover with 13 seconds left when Lowry and Patrick McCaw got their signals crossed on an inbound play. Then Anthony hit a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line with 3.3 seconds left to put the Blazers up for good. A desperate three-point attempt by Lowry rimmed out — “I thought it was going in,” he said — and the Raptors fell to 24-13 on the year as they head to Charlotte on the second night of the back-to-back. For Portland (16-22), it was just its second win in eight games as it tries to remain in the hunt for the eighth seed in the West.
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Lowry led Toronto with 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting, while Ibaka had 17. Chris Boucher and Oshae Brissett each chipped in 12, but it was pretty slim after that as the Raptors shot just 36.5 per cent from the floor. Portland got loose in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Raptors 32-21, and Anthony finished with 28 — 10 in the fourth — while Lillard had 11 of his 20 in the final period.
The Trail Blazers are the more typical version of what happens around the NBA when injuries pile up with no end in sight. With two starters – Rodney Hood and Zach Collins – out for the season and another key rotation piece, Jusuf Nurkic, having not played yet this year, there is no question they have been up against it.
Portland has done its best to stop the bleeding. Knowing it was going to be without Nurkic for much of the year after he broke his leg late last season, it added Whiteside in the off-season. The Blazers even decided to bring Anthony back from a 12-month basketball exile and have watched the 35-year-old become their third-leading scorer.
Yet they came into the game Tuesday struggling to keep their season from slipping away on them.
That’s what’s supposed to happen.
The Raptors are what’s not supposed to happen. This many injuries to this many key players stretched out over two months is supposed to send a team spinning sideways, ever closer to the abyss.
The Raptors keep chugging along. They are now 5-4 without Gasol, Powell and Siakam. The last time they played Portland, they were in the midst of an 8-2 run without Lowry and Ibaka.
“I just want us to go out there and play with an honest effort,” said Nurse. “I think through those nine games, I’d say probably seven of them we have … to me, that’s all I want to do. I want to go out and let you know we’re guarding you, that we’re trying to take away things you like, and that we’re doing our best for the offence to go in the direction it needs, to go through the right people, and then have some other guys chip in. Then I can live with that.”
If there is a podcasting odd couple, this might be it. Donnovan Bennett and JD Bunkis don’t agree on much, but you’ll agree this is the best Toronto Raptors podcast going.
Other guys have been chipping in.
As an example, for the last 3:10 of the first quarter Nurse relied on the following lineup in an NBA game: Thomas (undrafted free-agent rookie, playing in his first NBA game in six weeks); Boucher (undrafted free agent in his second season); Brissett (undrafted rookie free agent, playing in his 11th NBA game); McCaw (undrafted free agent with 172 games’ experience) and Stanley Johnson (a busted former lottery pick on his third team in two seasons who has played just 11 games this season).
It is not an NBA lineup, by any conventional measure, yet the rag-tag group finished the quarter on an 8-0 run. Their most reliable offensive play was tipping the ball to themselves to gain an extra disjointed possession. Hey, whatever works. The Raptors took a 24-15 lead into the second period.
By that time, Lowry had gotten enough rest and picked up from there. As long as he doesn’t crumble under the load – Lowry is leading the NBA in minutes per game, averaging 38 per night – the husky point guard will be a lock for his sixth-straight all-star appearance. The 33-year-old Lowry hit a three and a floater in quick order and the Raptors were up by 12 early in the second quarter.
Incredibly, they were able to hold some version of their advantage for most of the period. The Raptors led 56-46 at half. Heading into the fourth, they led 78-69.
The highwater mark came with Lowry and Ibaka on the bench early in the fourth as Boucher scored 10 quick points to keep the Raptors’ lead in double figures.
But things got glitchy down the stretch. The Trail Blazers tightened up defensively and were able to focus more attention on Lowry. In the final 3:57 minutes, the only offence the Raptors could manage was a mid-range pull-up by Lowry and a tough finish by Ibaka off a Lowry feed.
Even the short-handed Blazers had more options than that, and eventually that was the difference.
Still, it was almost another unlikely Raptors win. Even in defeat, it was the most recent example of the Raptors scratching, clawing and almost finding a way. The Trail Blazers are proof that it’s not something that should be taken for granted.
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina‘s RJ Davis looked into the possibility of leaving for the NBA before deciding to return for another college season.
Their decisions helped their teams earn top-10 rankings in the AP Top 25 and earned both players some preseason honors, too.
Sears was a near-unanimous selection for The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team released Monday, earning all but one vote from a 55-person national media panel. Davis was right behind him, nabbing 51 votes.
They were joined by Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson, Auburn forward Johni Broome, Arizona guard Caleb Love and Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Love and Flagg tied for the final spot, creating a six-man team that includes only the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.
Alabama twin bill
Sears was a key cog in the Crimson Tide’s first trip to the Final Four a year ago, orchestrating one of college basketball’s highest-scoring teams.
The 6-foot-1 guard was named a second-team AP All-America after averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was the first Division I player in 31 years to have 795 points, 150 rebounds, 145 assists and 95 three-pointers in a single season while breaking the Alabama single-season record with 26 games with at least 20 points.
Sears worked out for NBA scouts during the offseason before deciding to return to Alabama, earning the Crimson Tide a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.
“I saw the team that we had and I wanted to be a part of it, and bring home Alabama’s first national championship in basketball,” Sears said.
Across the state at rival Auburn, Broome made a quick decision about his future, announcing in April that he would be back for a fifth season.
The 6-10 forward was a third-team AP All-American last season after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 55% from the floor. With an eye on an NBA future, Broome worked hard on his perimeter shooting during the offseason and his return earned Auburn a No. 11 preseason ranking.
“My main goal is a team goal, which is to win the national championship, to make it as far as I can in March Madness,” Broome said. “When a team shines, everyone shines individually.”
Along Tobacco Road
Like Sears, Davis has similar aspirations after opting to return for his fifth season at North Carolina.
The 6-foot guard was an AP All-American last season and the ACC player of the year after averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists on a team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Davis enters this year within reach of former North Carolina big man Tyler Hansbrough’s all-time ACC scoring record.
“I know there’s more work to be done,” Davis said. “I know my jersey’s not going up until I leave. So there’s some more records to break and some more work to be done. I’m satisfied but I’m not satisfied, if that makes sense.”
Up the road at Duke, Flagg was the only underclassman on the preseason All-America team after arriving with tons of hype. The 6-9 swingman was the No. 1-rated high school recruit out of Newport, Maine and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Flagg has the skills of a guard, but can also play inside and has worked hard on his perimeter shooting, giving him the potential to be one of college basketball’s most versatile players. He’s part of a stellar recruiting class that has No. 7 Duke eyeing a deep March run.
Big 12 duo
Dickinson was the biggest move in the transfer portal last spring after leaving Michigan for Kansas. The 7-2 center lived up to the billing, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds while leading the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament.
Love’s decision to return for a second season at No. 10 Arizona has ratcheted up expectations in the desert for the Big 12 rival of Kansas.
The athletic 6-4 guard had a high-scoring career at North Carolina and continued it after transferring to Arizona last season. He was the Pac-12 player of the year and a third-team All-American after averaging 18 points per game and making 92 3-pointers.
Love tested the NBA waters this summer before deciding to return.
“He’s had a very successful college career thus far,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He’s kind of this last generation of player that’s going to get better with this extra year, and so I just encourage him to take advantage of it.”
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CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of Cleveland‘s season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Sunday against Cincinnati, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Watson will soon undergo surgery, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the results of imaging tests taken on his leg.
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year.
The 29-year-old Watson went down without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson collapsed to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
As he laid on the ground, there was cheering by some Cleveland fans, leading to some of Watson’s teammates criticizing that behavior during the team’s fifth straight loss.
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s divisive stay with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks to Houston and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million in 2022. The deal came amid Watson being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He settled civil lawsuits in all but one of those cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games with the Browns and then made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
